Conventionally, as interfaces between an information processing apparatus and peripheral device, for example, a parallel interface, serial interface, IrDA, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ethernet (R, to be abbreviated as (R) hereinafter), and the like are popularly used. As the information processing apparatus, a personal computer, digital camera, digital video camera, and the like are known. As the peripheral device, a printer (printing apparatus), copying machine, facsimile, scanner, digital camera, digital video camera, an image processing apparatus comprising combined functions of these devices, and the like are known.
In recent years, as communication interfaces between devices, Bluetooth, wireless LAN (IEEE802.11a/b/g, etc.), and IEEE1394 are newly added. As a new communication interface other than these interfaces, Picture Transfer Protocol over Internet Protocol (PTP/IP) developed by FotoNation Inc. <http://www.fotonaton.com/index.php> is available. Also, Wireless USB designed by Wireless USB Promoter Group is available. Furthermore, a new interface such as PictBridge <http://www.cipa.jp/pictbridge/index_j.html> standardized by Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) or the like is used.
In order to support these new interfaces, a measure is taken by, e.g., updating some components of an OS (Operating System) of an information processing apparatus. For example, in case of the OS of Windows® XP available from Microsoft Corporation, the OS is updated by Windows® XP Service Pack, Windows® Update, QFE for updating the OS, and the like. Security is often enhanced by such updates.
When the OS is updated in this way, the firmware of a peripheral device and a driver used to control that peripheral device are updated in correspondence with the specification of the updated OS, thus providing a peripheral device control system with a specification better than ever. By enhancement of security or the like due to update of the OS, a peripheral device which normally operates under the previous OS or a driver used to control that peripheral device cannot often be operated based on the previous specification. In this case, in order to normally operate the peripheral device and its driver, the firmware of the peripheral device and the driver used to control that peripheral device must be updated.
However, when a combination of the version of the updated OS, that of the firmware of the peripheral device, and that of the driver used to control the peripheral device is not a match, the peripheral device control system often does not normally operate.